


Michael Assistent

by ProjectPython



Category: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (TV 2016)
Genre: BLACKWING - Freeform, Backstory, Gen, LGBT, Lt. Assistent - Freeform, Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-25
Updated: 2019-06-25
Packaged: 2020-05-19 08:42:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19353466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProjectPython/pseuds/ProjectPython
Summary: Back before he worked in Blackwing, Lt. Michael Assistent was a high-school outcast, bullied by his peers for an aspect of his life he had no control over. The only person who bothers to talk with him is a girl named Daphne, who shares a very similar secret. However, it’s hard for Michael to trust anyone, even when they’re trying their hardest to help.





	Michael Assistent

No one ever came to this corner of the field, which is why it was where Michael ate his lunch. It was where the spiders wove their webs in the links of the fence, where passers by dropped their cigarette butts, and where the garbage cans were located. It stunk, and the grass was yellow, and the clouds always seemed to find a way to cover it, but Michael had made it his home over the years. No one bothered him, made fun of his clothes, his hair, or just him in general. There was no room for things to get worse when you sat there.The only other person to sit with him was Daphne Underwood. Though she was an outcast, she wasn’t quite as low as he was, but she sat with him anyway. She didn’t come every day, but he enjoyed the days she did.

They understood each other, they knew each other’s secrets. Daphne was as close to a friend as Michael had ever gotten. She trusted him because she knew he would keep her secret, a secret they shared. She could speak her mind around him, and he wouldn’t judge her.

Michael made room on the discoloured, slightly slimy grass, as Daphne sat down, setting her lunchbox beside him. It was plain black, but etched with pictures of giraffes, her favourite animal, and some initials. Only Michael knew who’s they were.

Michael’s lunchbox was, he’d admit, much too young for him, but he loved it nevertheless. It was small, sized for an elementary student, and decorated with pictures of aliens and spaceships and stars. His mother had asked if he wanted a replacement, something ‘more mature’, but he refused. He loved his lunchbox.

“How’re you?” Daphne asked. She was very lively and loved conversation, despite Michael’s quiet and shy nature. The fact that she wanted to talk to him gave him a fuzzy, happy feeling inside, like he had a friend. He knew that couldn’t be true, though. The only reason Daphne liked Michael was because he could keep a secret.

“Fine,” he lied, pulling his legs closer to his body. Daphne flicked a cigarette away from her and scowled at the sky.

“It’s cloudy,” she stated. Michael nodded. “Might rain.” He nodded again. “What did you do today?”

“Math,” he said, his voice hardly a whisper.

“You’re pretty good at math, aren’t you?”

“I guess.”

“Do you want to be a math teacher when you graduate?”

“Not really.”

“What do you want to be?”

He shrugged.

“I think you’d be good with kids.”

“Not really.”

“Do you have any siblings?”

“No.”

“Do you like kids?”

Another shrug from Michael made Daphne give up any hope of a conversation.

As usual, she thought. I wish I could make him more comfortable.

“Anything interesting happen today?” She tried.

“Mm,” Michael sighed. He shook his head. “Pretty boring.”

Three words! Daphne thought triumphantly. Well, two and a half? But it counts.

Then she noticed the blank way he stared across the field at the other boys, who were playing soccer. She hadn’t seen that look on him before.

“Are you okay?” She reached out to touch his shoulder, but he flinched away.

“Sorry-” the words came out choked, slightly forced.

“Don’t be,” Daphne cried. “Michael, what’s wrong?”

“Everything’s fine,” he pulled his hoodie tighter around him. “Nothing’s wrong. Everything’s fine.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Yes, it is.”

“No, it’s not. Come on, Michael.”

“Yes, it is!”

“No one shouts about how fine they are,” Daphne said, frowning at him. “What happened? You can tell me.”

“No, I can’t,” he leaned his head against the fence. Daphne brushed a spider off his head as it crawled onto him. He didn’t seem to notice.

“How bad is it?” Daphne asked. “Tell me that, at least.”

“To me?”

“Yes, to you.”

Michael opened his mouth, as if he were about to speak, but closed it quickly. “Nevermind. It’s not important.”

“Michael Assistent,” Daphne snapped. “You’re going to tell me what’s on your mind, okay? And I’m not going to judge you. We’re friends. Friends don’t judge.”

“We... are?” Michael’s eyes widened. “We’re friends?”

“Of course we are!” She almost laughed. “You’re my best friend!”

“What about Angel?”

“She’s okay.”

“I thought you were pretty close.”

“But she doesn’t know about...”

“Right,” he glanced across the field worriedly. “Daniel caught me staring at Sam.”

“Oh dear,” Daphne said. “What did he do?”

“Wrote ‘queer’ across my locker.”

“Did you wash it off?”

“I couldn’t. I’m going to have to wait for the janitors to paint it over.”

“Oh, Michael...”

Their hands touched, and, almost automatically, their fingers wrapped around each other. It wasn’t a show of romantic affection, but friendly comfort. Michael leaned on Daphne’s shoulder and relished in the feeling of stability. Maybe she really was his friend. Maybe he meant something to her. He had never felt this feeling before, but he loved it. Like he was cared for.

But the graffiti wasn’t painted over until the next week, and that gave the entire school enough time to read it. That drew more attention to Michael, the strange boy with the alien lunchbox who sat by himself at lunchtime. He became entertainment for the other students, and when the graffiti on his locker was cleaned up it was replaced with the word ‘faggot’, then ‘fairy’, then ‘pansy’. And, after awhile, not even Daphne could make him smile.


End file.
